


Presents Beneath The Tree

by Aramirandme81



Series: A Johnsons Christmas Calendar 2013 [9]
Category: The Almighty Johnsons
Genre: Christmas, Christmas Presents, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-12-09
Updated: 2013-12-09
Packaged: 2018-01-04 03:47:54
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,288
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1076190
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aramirandme81/pseuds/Aramirandme81
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Will there be presents beneath the tree?<br/>And if there are, what will they be?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Presents Beneath The Tree

Presents(Dawn): Dawn is shocked the first Christmas she works for Anders when she learns that he doesn’t have to buy more than two presents for Christmas. One for his youngest brother and one for his best friend. 

When she finds out Christmas morning that he’d meant her she has to leave the party at her mum’s house to have a cry. Though she can’t quite figure out if it’s because she is sad or happy to be Anders best friend, she is very glad that she send him something as well.

 

Presents(Mike): Mike has been asking for a baby brother for some time now, so Johan thinks he’s clever when he explains to Mike that he can’t have the dinosaur he’s looking at and a baby brother. Mike looks at the dinosaur for a few more moments clearly deep in thought, then turns around and declares: “I’ll take the dinosaur.”

 

Presents(Axl): Axl can’t remember a single Christmas were he didn’t get something that he wanted no matter how tight the money were, and sometimes they were tight enough that even Axl noticed it, there was always something good for him. 

It’s years later, after he becomes Odin that he overhears Anders and Ty talk about how they used to arrange it like when Ty had spend hours going through secondhand bookstore to find Anders two nearly new looking and more or less up to date book about marine life, or when Anders had been tutoring little Tommy Bradford in math every Thursday after school for months in exchange for his dad fixing up Anders and Ty’s common bike so it’s almost like new when Anders had handed Ty sole possession of it. And how both of them had forgone presents from Mike and Val so Axl could have something he’d really wanted, and neither being sore about it? Both of them laugh at how Mike had looked in the face when they’d told him to spend the money on Axl instead of them. When he hears that Axl starts to think back and realize that yes those years he’d been the only one getting real presents, he’d just been too caught up in his own world to notice. For the first time in his life Axl feel real and truly humbled to have the family he has.

 

Presents (Anders): He’s seventeen it’s nearing Christmas and he only has one wish: A jacket. Not just any jacket, a New one. One that he will be the first one to wear that fits and is his style. He’s even found one that he likes in a little shop round the corner by the library on the way between home and school.

Every day he walks past and looks to see if it’s still there, and every day it hangs on a rack just inside the shops display window looking for all the world like it’s just waiting for him to come pick it up.  
But he can’t. He doesn’t have the money, especially not when he has to get something for Axl who’s whishes seem to become more expensive every year.

If they still gave presents all the way round he might have asked everyone else to join up and get him money so he could maybe save up the rest and buy the jacket, but they don’t so there is no use in even mentioning it. But that doesn’t stop him from dreaming about it, and yes he is quite aware that seventeen year olds should dream about sex and fast cars, and he does! He dreams about beautiful women walking up to him and complimenting him on his jacket then proceeding to do things to him that would get him arrested in several US’ states. And he dreams about driving fast expensive cars wearing the jacket as protection against the wind. Yes Anders is very much aware he’s obsessed, but really what’s the harm?

Then a week before Christmas Mike comes home all smiles. His latest client had been so thrilled with the house he’d build him that he has insisted on giving him a bonus: Nearly four thousand dollars cash and fifty % off at his wife’s shop.

Everyone is happy about the money of course and the offer is generous as well, because it’s an exclusive little shop… located just around the corner from the library. 

Anders just wants to cry because now he’s close enough to smell the jacket, but he just spend his very last dime on Axl’s present because he’d known he’d never have enough anyway. But when Val says they should at least go look he can’t say no.

It goes as he’d expected it to: He just can’t tear his eyes of the thing, and very carefully he fingers the material. Soft and smooth, yet clearly very strong. Oh this isn’t good. The nice lady behind the counter notices and asks him if he want to try it on. He does, he’s burning to do just that. And though he knows he should resist he lets himself be talked into trying it. It fits like it was made just for him. And he has to wage a war with his conscious and his practicality to take it off and very politely explain that it’s the finest jacket he’s ever seen, but he will never be able to afford it. The lady doesn’t look offended that he would even be in the store let alone look at something that he can’t afford, like so many sales persons seem to do. She just smiles and says that if he’s lucky maybe he’ll get it for Christmas. Yeah like that will happen.

When Christmas morning comes along and there is no more presents under the tree Anders isn’t the least bit more disappointed than he’d been the first time he saw the price tag.

“Well, it seems Santa has been a little sloppy this year.” Mike says from his seat in the sofa.

Everyone looks at him.

“He left these under the bed last night.” He says and brings out four more presents.

“Yeayh!” Axl shouts with glee and storms over to get his. “Lego!” He exclaims and gives Mike and Val a hug each before he’s faced with the difficult task of deciding which of his two Lego set’s to open and build first.

Ty get’s the new computer game he’s been salivating over for ages now.

Val get’s a bottle of her favorite perfume and she smiles as she kisses Mike in thanks.

Anders? 

Anders is stunned into silence when he unwraps his present and finds ‘his’ jacket inside.

“Anders? Are you okay buddy?” Mike asks when his brother has failed to make a sound for some time.

“I.. just. Thank you, thank you so much.” Anders is unable to get more out.

“Don’t thank me buddy Val was the one that picked it out.”

Anders looks at Val who’s standing right beside him picking up wrapping paper that Axl has strewn everywhere, with an utterly stunned expression that Val mistakes for dislike or something similar because she starts defending herself.

“Well I couldn’t help but notice how you looked at it, and you did need a new one and …” She doesn’t get more out before Anders has stood up and thrown his arms around her. 

“Thank you.” He all but whispers into her ear as he hugs her with such emotion that he could have melted rocks.

Val smiles and hugs him back.

“You are very welcome.” 

 

Anders loves that jacket, and he will for nearly five more years until Mike forgets to have Anders strip before his god ceremony and the jacket catches fire when the lightning hits…


End file.
